First Date

A/N: Could be considered a prequel to my previous story (Stay)

Disclaimer: I don't own Mortal Instruments or any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them

Alec pulled on the tight tee-shirt and shrugged on the black leather jacket. He felt out of place and uncomfortable in the new clothes, even though the colour scheme was rather similar to what he usually wore. He longed for baggy jumpers and faded jeans – to blend scruffily into the crowd rather than stand out like some rebellious teenager.

The stretchy material of the tee-shirt clung to his abs, making Alec feel self conscious – at least the baggy, shapeless outfits he usually wore hid his rather lean figure. The jeans were too tight as well: Isabelle had insisted he bought the skinniest pair in the shop, price tag (and comfort) be damned. The studded belt wrapped around his hips was odd too – bringing attention to his slender waist – and the matching wristband she had forced him to buy felt ridiculous, too heavy and shiny for his tastes.

Alec fiddled with the hem of the tee-shirt, pulling it down to a more comfortable level. It was too short, he thought, and whatever he did it kept riding up to sit just above the top of his belt. He knocked at Isabelle's bedroom door.

"Izzy? What do you think?" he said when she opened the door.

Isabelle's jaw dropped. "You look... erm..." She cleared her throat. "Wow," she gasped, "You look great!"

Alec frowned. "Err... thanks, I think," he said. "Though, I don't know why you wouldn't just let me wear my own clothes. These aren't, well, me."

"They suit you, though. And your old clothes; well, I've seen better in charity shops and jumble sales – not that I've been to many of those," she added quickly.

"Thanks," he smiled sarcastically. "So, do you think he'll like it then?"

Isabelle smiled. "Magnus? He'll love it – I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't come home tonight," she said suggestively.

It took Alec a few seconds to figure out her meaning; when he did, the smile fell off his face. "Izzy!" he reprimanded. "That is just... I don't want my sister speculating over that!

"Anyway," he added slyly, "I wouldn't... not on a first date, at least!"

It was Isabelle's turn to look shocked and disgusted. "I don't want to know! And besides," she added, "It's not your first ever date with him."

Alec shrugged in agreement; he and Magnus had been an 'item' for a few months, but their relationship had never included more mundane things, like getting to know one another over a nervous meal, before proceeding to ignore each other in favour of watching a boring movie. Hell, this was their first proper date – hence Isabelle's insisting on a new outfit for him. Magnus was taking him out for dinner and a movie, then back to his place for, as he so eloquently put it, 'dessert'.

Isabelle shook her head. "Right, you have about ten minutes before he gets here," she grinned, "Oh, I almost forgot!" She rushed back into her bedroom. Alec watched her rummage through the large box on her dresser, the box that was filled to the brim with designer make-up. He didn't know what she was trying to find – he'd told her in the shop that afternoon that, if she was going to make him dress up like some angst-ridden teenager, he drew the line at make-up. He watched as she overturned the box onto her bed and sorted through the products until she found what she was looking for – a black kohl pencil. She handed it to Alec, who stared at it like it was some sort of explosive device.

"What? No, no, no!" he hissed. "Never, not in a million years! You've already made me swap my normal clothes for these... these things! I am not wearing eye liner!"

Not two minutes later, Alec sat before the mirror in Isabelle's room, watching as his sister outlined his ice-blue eyes with the pencil; carefully blending the edges to soften the harsh blackness of the kohl. She blew the flecks of pencil from his face, and sat back on her heels to admire her work.

"There, all done," she said. "What do you think?"

Alec grimaced. "It's not... well, me. You know – it looks strange."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "It looks great," she smiled. "Now, you have about two minutes before he gets here, so I suggest you go downstairs to wait for him."

"Thanks," Alec said, before making his way towards the elevator. The new jeans were so tight he felt they may be cutting the circulation off from his legs, and the leather jacket hung off his shoulders in a way that screamed 'I have no idea about fashion, my sister picked it'. Alec didn't do designer clothes; his wardrobe consisted of rows of old, baggy tee-shirts and jumpers, and an array of worn out tracksuit bottoms and loose greying jeans.

He walked self-consciously down the corridor. He could see Magnus, leaning against the doorframe. He looked... sparkly – wearing tight-fitting jeans and a neon tee-shirt, and covered in ample amounts of glitter. The warlock raised an approving eyebrow as he spotted Alec, and Alec smiled back, aiming for nonchalant but ending up closer to uncomfortable.

"New look, Lightwood? I like it," he purred, light glinting in his cat-like eyes. Alec shivered under Magnus's gaze. The warlock grinned. "Is this all for me?" he asked.

Alec gulped nervously. "Erm, well... possibly – I mean..."

Magnus smiled, and stalked closer to the nervous Shadowhunter. He ran a hand down Alec's face, and his predatory grin softened as the younger man lent into his touch.

"I see," he whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the corner of Alec's mouth. "I'm gonna show you one hell of a night!" he added, before winking suggestively at Alec and leading the stunned Shadowhunter out into the cool night air.

The rain poured thick and fast over the Brooklyn streets as Alec and Magnus quickly made their way toward Magnus's apartment. The date had been a success, Alec thought. They'd gone for dinner at one of the more... friendly restaurants, before deciding on the only film showing at the cinema that wasn't a chick-flick and didn't have the word 'Death' in the title. Magnus had insisted on buying the largest bucket of popcorn available (even though he had just eaten a rather large portion of tortellini and polished off three quarters of the chocolate dessert for two they had ordered),but it had been forgotten about once the trailers had finished and the film had started properly. Alec couldn't quite remember what the film was about – he remembered magic and stars and a cross dressing pirate, but the majority of the movie was spent with Magnus's tongue in his mouth, which had been infinitely more exciting. Alec made a mental note to see that particular movie again sometime (without Magnus to distract him) – the bits he had seen seemed pretty funny.

Magnus managed to unlock the front door and ushered Alec up to his apartment. The apartment was a direct contrast to the dingy hallway: bright walls and floors, warm and cosy as opposed to dull and cold. The storm that raged outside was quieter inside; the rain still lashed the windows but the thick curtains helped muffle the sound to a background hum. Alec peeled off his sodden jacket and hung it on the radiator. He glimpsed in one of the many mirrors as he did so, noting his dishevelled, rain soaked appearance. His hair was limp and sticking to his face and the eyeliner Isabelle had carefully applied was smudged under his eyes in a way that reminded Alec of the pandas at the zoo. His shirt was darker than it was at the beginning of the evening, sticking to his frame in a way that was almost as uncomfortable as the tight, waterlogged jeans that hugged his legs. Alec heard a small cough behind him, and turned abruptly, embarrassed that he had been staring at his reflection for so long.

Magnus smiled softly at the young Shadowhunter. "Do you want a drink?" he asked, suddenly slightly nervous. Without waiting for a reply, he opened the fridge and started looking through the bottles stored there. "I've got water; wine – red and white; erm... there's some Diet Coke somewhere..."

Alec wandered over to the fridge Magnus was searching through, and, after softly prising the bottle from his hand, closed the door. He looked into the cat-like eyes of his boyfriend. "I don't want a drink," he almost purred, pressing his body close to the Warlock's.

Magnus grinned and pressed a soft kiss to Alec's lips. "What do you want then?" he asked.

Alec raised an eyebrow, playing with the damp collar of Magnus's shirt. "Oh, I think you can guess," he whispered, leaning in for another kiss.